Before I left San Francisco, I thought I'd probably have to live without swimming for a couple of weeks while I was traveling. But I’ve been in New York for less than 24 hours and already I’m jonesing for a pool. A Google search for “public swimming pools new york city” turns up two within a reasonable distance of where I’m staying in Chelsea.
There’s the Chelsea Piers Sports Center, which about.com describes as “a six-lane pool with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River.” Cool. No, fabulous. And I can walk there. I keep reading.
Day passes, the website says, are $50. Must be a typo. I call. “Is it really $50 a day just to use the pool?” “Yes, but you get access to the entire facility for the whole day.” “There isn’t a cheaper option if all I want to do is swim for half an hour?” “I’m afraid not.”
Okay, scratch Chelsea Piers. Maybe I’ll stop by later and ask if I can just check out the view. For free.
Then there’s the Asser Levy Rec Center at E. 23rd and Avenue C. The outdoor pool, open during the summer, is free. And it’s a four-block walk and one bus ride – the 23 St Crosstown – from where I’m staying. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a bus in Manhattan. But how hard could it be. It’s probably just like taking a bus in San Francisco, right? Do you think they’ll let me use my MUNI Fast Pass? Are New York and San Francisco sister cities? Maybe I can rent a bike. Is there someplace to rent bikes in Chelsea?
Well, all this goes on tomorrow’s agenda. It’s too late to go swimming today. It’s almost 9:00 am and I’ve been up for three and a half hours. Swimming is what you do at dawn. The rest of the day is for walking and taking the subway. Now if only D. and Sarah would wake up…
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